AZUKI-ARAI

Lore

Azuki-Arai is a yokai said to wash red azuki beans near streams and rivers, all the while repeating a soft, rhythmic "shoki-shoki" sound. Legend has it that these entities dwell deep in forests and mountainous regions where small creeks wind among the trees.

Depending on the story, Azuki-Arai may be completely invisible, revealing its presence only through eerie, bean-washing noises. Actual sightings are exceedingly rare, yet those who claim to have encountered this yokai describe a short, stocky figure with large, round eyes. It bears a passing resemblance to a Buddhist monk, often wearing a silly grin and having only three fingers on each large hand. Far from seeking out humans, it actively avoids them.

While the harmless creature scrubs its beans, it half-chants, half-sings a disquieting refrain. Eyewitnesses struggle to parse every word, but a few can clearly pick out: "Shall I wash these azuki beans, or shall I catch a human and eat them?" As soon as Azuki-Arai senses someone approaching, it flees into the undergrowth.

Travelers who hear this song may find themselves slipping into a kind of trance-drawn closer and closer to the source of the tune, seemingly against their will. Dazed by the music, they often stumble blindly and tumble straight into the creek where the yokai had been washing its beans. In an instant, Azuki-Arai vanishes, leaving the unfortunate explorer soaked from head to toe, with only the yokai's echoing laughter ringing through the forest.